OPINION
vcreporter.com
Power to Speak
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer re-entry programs and or to lock them up in jails, one of the worst STAFF WRITER the supportive housing environments for people with serious mental Kimberly Rivers required for this specific illness. This approach passes the buck of CONTRIBUTORS population. responsibility to law enforcement, hospitals, Michael Cervin, David Michael Courtland, Ivor Davis, Emily Dodi, Unlike other large Cal- jails and communities. Alicia Doyle, Chuck Graham, Chris Jay, Daphne Khalida Kilea, Karen ifornia counties, howevThe economic costs of non-treatment for Lindell, Paul Moomjean, Mike Nelson, Tim Pompey, Emily Savage, er, Ventura County lead- these severe illnesses are staggering: homeKathy Jean Schultz, Alan Sculley, Kit Stolz, Mark Storer, Alex Wilson, ership has never directed that a plan be generat- lessness, incarceration, suicide, probation and by Mary Haffner Leslie A. Westbrook, Kateri Wozny ed nor have they assessed what will be needed parole, law enforcement, court use, SSI and GRAPHIC DESIGNERS to adequately serve the roughly 16,000 adults SSDI benefits, and the attendant lawsuits ur society is rightly focused on the Bret Hooper, Paul Braun, Elaine Cota stark inequities borne from prejudice who will have a serious mental illness in our related to incarceration and public safety. SALES TEAM LEADER and discrimination and the grave injus- county. There is no coordinated vision for the We all pay these costs. If we do not focus Warren Barrett tices visited on entire groups that deny equal delivery of services and supports, no articulated on effective treatment, many of those afflictADVERTISING SALES rights and equal access to services, protections goals and no time-bound benchmarks. There ed will require costly services from society Barbara Kroon and freedoms. One of the most marginalized of can be no accountability or plans for improve- for the rest of their lives because they will CLASSIFIEDS ment if we don’t have clear goals and ways to continue to be re-hospitalized, re-arrested those groups is the seriously mentally ill. Ann Turrietta I have served on Ventura County’s Behav- measure success. We do know that the current and re-incarcerated, all while continuing to ioral Health Board for over five years and I system is not working for many, and the num- deteriorate further. Ventura County’s mental Advertising information, call 805.648.2244 have seen firsthand the results of this systemic bers of seriously mentally ill who are cycling healthcare system creates high-resource utiClassified Ads | Display Ads discrimination. People with severe mental through the system untreated continue to go up. lizers who will be dependent on the system I have listened to many local families trying for many years. illness are not afforded treatment on par with EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICE There are also human costs incurred by the others who suffer with disease. We make them to get help for their seriously mentally ill loved 805.648.2244 wait days in hospital emergency rooms, trans- ones. Even the most tireless and committed seriously mentally ill and their families. Famwarren@vcreporter.com (Advertising) fer them out of the county, jail them and allow family members have great difficulty access- ily members have been told by county staff to nancy@vcreporter.com (Editorial) them to remain untreated, cycling through the ing best practice services and if they finally “back off,” “stop being so involved,” “you’re aturrietta@timespublications.com (Classifieds) do, systemic problems around inappropriate a helicopter mom.” These admonitions signisystem with no effective support. The Ventura County Reporter is distributed every Thursday in Ventura, Oxnard, Port Approximately 3.3 percent of the adult staffing and neglect in the Ventura County fy a lack of understanding and a breakdown Hueneme, Camarillo, Ojai, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills. The population will have a chronic and disabling system render the care they receive woefully in leadership. It is the responsibility of local Reporter is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. The Reporter may government and healthcare professionals to serious mental illness. The illness is treatable deficient. be distributed only by Reporter authorized distributors. No person may, without prior The unwritten county plan for the seriously help citizens who are unable to care for and we know the science-based best practicwritten permission of the Reporter, take more than one copy of each Reporter issue. The Reporter is copyright ©2020 by Times Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. No part es that work. We also know that the longer mentally ill is to invest in a law enforcement themselves and to work collaboratively with of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or by any means individuals with serious brain disorders go and jail-centered system, one which will con- family. It is inhumane to both allow people to without permission in writing by the publisher. An adjudicated Newspaper of General untreated, the more uncertain their prospects tinue to incur great economic and human decompensate to the point of being unable to Circulation (SP50329). Submissions of all kinds are welcomed. However, the publisher PROOF assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. A stamped,AD self-addressed envelope health costs and fail to promote wellness and care for themselves and then to require family for long-term recovery become. must accompany all submissions expected to be returned. All California counties work under the same function. With one of the worst inpatient members to stand by and watch. bed-to-population ratios in the state and a Positive change will happen unless state and federal law restrictions. Withand vision-Trust Client: Montecito Bank Ad not Executive: Barbara Kroon (805) 648-2244 system that houses moreYou mentally ill ain“1st jailProof”, county to lookIf we at this aryPlease leadership, smart strategic planning check this proof over carefully andand indicate all corrections clearly. will have “2ndleaders Proof”,are andwilling “Final Proof”. receive no proof after the 1st or 2nd Proofs, AD WILL political will, many of these counties are work- than in all its inpatient acute and sub-acute system and listen to those most impacted by AS IS.anIf“in thisthe proof meets your approvalresidential on the 1st facilities proof, check off “FINAL (APPROVED)” box, date and sign at the bottom combined, thisPROOF county’s its deficiencies. ingRUN to provide community” continISSUE: 9/3/20 NOTICE: PLEASEacute FAXandTHIS PROOF TO (805) ASAP PRESIDENT Steve Strickbine priority is not 648-2245 to help people get better. uum of care including sub-acute VICE PRESIDENT Michael Hiatt treatment and support, pre-arrest and pre-trial Instead, its priorities are to send individuals Mary Haffner is a Ventura resident and has served on Vendiversion intercept model programs, effective out of the county away from family support tura County’s Behavioral Health Board since April 2015.
More and better support needed for the mentally ill
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